Infernal affairs

PostED ON OCTOBER 16

Directed between 2002 and 2003, the Infernal Affairs trilogy succeeds in building a police tragedy with a universal and gripping lyricism.

The perfectly choreographed rhapsody was remade as The Departed (2006) by Martin Scorsese, an American filmmaker haunted by the notions of Good and Evil, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon. The original version features Hong Kong mega stars Andy Lau and Tony Leung, directed by filmmakers Andrew Lau and Alan Mak. Infernal Affairs is based on a very clear premise: a mobster infiltrates the police, while a cop infiltrates the mob. The two infiltrators are each backed by a tutelary figure: on one side, a major mobster, the Devil in a way, and on the other, an experienced cop who represents the highly vulnerable Good.

Infernal Affairs, 2002

The gravity of the threat of being exposed weighs permanently on the two moles with contrasting temperaments. Andy Lau lends his often smiling, even relaxed and open face to the thug, while Tony Leung makes full use of his brooding physique and melancholy gaze to play the undercover cop in perpetual danger of death. Infernal Affairs 1, with its tension and ultra-visceral soul, provides the necessary impetus for the following two instalments, which focus on the youthful days of the two protagonists. Finally, the Infernal Affairs trilogy forms a metaphorical portrait of Hong Kong, a territory where everything is a hybrid…

Virginie Apiou

Screenings

Infernal Affairs by Andrew Lau et Alan Mak (Mou gaan dou, 2002, 1h41, int-12ans)
UGC Confluence Sat16 4:30pm

Infernal Affairs II by Andrew Lau et Alan Mak (Mou gaan dou II, 2003, 1h59, int-12ans)
UGC Confluence Sat16 7pm

Infernal Affairs III by Andrew Lau et Alan Mak (Mou gaan dou III: Jung gik mou gaan, 2003, 1h57, int-12ans)
UGC Confluence Sat16 9:45pm | Cinéma Opéra Sun17 2:15pm

Previously unscreened 4K restoration by L'Immagine Ritrovata, colour grading by One Cool Production based on the original 35mm negative, scanned and restored in 4K.
Rerelease: March 16, 2022 by La Rabbia